
Claudia Voss, honorary mayoress, is presented with a fait accompli when her Southern German district decides to build a refugee centre in her town. Some of the population are fuming and resistance grows, but there are equal amounts of willingness to help and empathy. Unexpectedly, the committed wife and mother attracts the attention of right-wing circles and faces attempts to intimidate her. The more Claudia Voss tries to mediate, the stronger the hostility becomes. A gripping contemporary thriller which paints a nuanced picture of the challenges brought by an increasingly polarized political reality. No exception, but instead a widespread, alarming phenomenon in today’s democratic societies.
Him is visually stunning—all concrete cathedrals and bone-rattling impact shots that look like a nightmare highlight reel. Marlon Wayans is magnetic as this legendary quarterback who's basically selling salvation with a smile that never quite reaches his eyes. But the story keeps running in circles: more tests, more cryptic pep talks, more ritualistic drills. The sports-as-religion metaphor beats you over the head when subtlety would've been more effective. The middle drags, and that finale chooses spectacle over substance. It's undeniably stylish, but left me cold. Also worth noting: despite the Monkeypaw connection, this isn't actually a Jordan Peele film—he didn't write or direct.
In the film adaptation, director Jon M. Chu turns each musical number into a massive show stopper, with grand set pieces and a wealth of diverse dancers. Yet, in this attempt to show reverence for the people of the Washington Heights barrio, Chu, or maybe more specifically those in charge of casting, left out a crucial part of the community, Afro-Latinos.
While the camera is objectifying her body to invoke a sexual response in male viewers, Lara Croft still defies the expectations of women in action films.
I like discovering something new among the old and Tubi has an assortment of horror films from cinema's past for just such an occasion.